Special Olympics Ireland has intensified its call for national support as preparations continue for the Special Olympics Ireland National Games, set to take place from June 18–21 across Dublin, Meath and Kildare.
The Games will bring together 1,200 athletes from across Ireland, supported by 600 coaches and approximately 2,500 volunteers, competing across 15 sports in what will be the largest inclusive sporting event staged in Ireland in 2026.
Speaking at The Sporting Year Ahead, CEO Karen Coventry described the Games as the culmination of years of training, qualification and community support for athletes and their families.
“This is about much more than competition,” Coventry said. “It’s about confidence, belonging, and giving athletes the chance to shine on a national stage.”
The Games will feature an opening ceremony at Tallaght Stadium and serve as a qualifying pathway to the 2027 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Santiago, Chile.
Coventry outlined the scale of the operation, with an additional €3 million required to stage the Games, covering venues, accommodation, transport, catering, uniforms, and IT infrastructure.
A new “Support an Athlete” campaign has been launched to help meet those costs, alongside opportunities for corporate volunteering and value-in-kind support.
Three athletes — Dara Kiernan, Chris Byrne and Jacob McKenna — joined Coventry on stage to share what the Games mean to them.
Kiernan, a badminton athlete who first competed at the National Games in 2018, spoke about the excitement of being selected again and the friendships formed with athletes from across the country, particularly those he first met eight years ago.
Byrne, preparing for his first National Games in football, described balancing training with college life and his ambition to improve by playing alongside mainstream teams, viewing the Games as a milestone in his sporting journey.
McKenna, a swimmer training up to six days a week, spoke about his focus on performance, friendship and enjoyment, as well as his ambition to progress to World Games level in the future.
Coventry said the athletes’ stories reflect the broader impact of the organisation’s work.
“These athletes train week in, week out in their communities,” she said. “The Games are where all of that effort comes together.”
Beyond funding, Special Olympics Ireland is encouraging businesses and individuals to support the Games through volunteering, workplace fundraising and in-kind contributions, reinforcing the message that inclusion in sport is built through collective effort.
“This is sport at its most human,” Coventry said. “And when people experience it, they rarely want to step away.”
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Image Credit: Sport for Business, Ryan Byrne, Inpho.ie
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